To be honest, I will prefer to play a couple of matches, with the radio in the background, than sit and watch tv, which would probably send me to sleep anyway.

I'm particularly enjoying the league this season as the next match depends on the roll of a multi-sided dice, about five minutes before kick-off. Tomorrow's matches could therefore be from anywhere in the league, from the familiar teams at the top, to two being featured for the first time, from
Division Three.

Our newly purchased fixture organiser, a multi-faced Digital Illustrated Compact Engineer (usually referred to by its initial letters) provided two Christmas Day fixtures; Western Villa v South Barsham (D2), followed by White Cliff v Tarka Vale (D3). Both matches are between teams close together in mid table, so should produce a couple of tight games.

Western Villa 1, South Barsham 1.

One new but unfamiliar face in the South Barsham side; Sid Rundle (1945-52) is a steady and reliable wing half, who was unlucky with injuries. He was brought in to add solidity to the defence, without altering the formation.

The game took a short while to settle, as both sides tried to get their passing games working to the required accuracy, and it was twenty minutes before the first chance on goal, when Jackson' shot narrowly wide, from Nelson's short pass.

On the half hour, after Western had began to look the better side, Purrington's pass out of defence was played further forward by Bloomfield to Binney, who did exactly what he was bought in for, and slotted the ball home, putting South Barsham in front.

At this stage, Bloomfield was playing well in his inside forward role, and ten minutes later, he supplied Stonebridge with another good pass, from which the shot went just wide. Unfortunately, Stonebridge was injured in the move, and had to leave the field for the remainder of the first half, but was able to return after the break.

While South Barsham were a man down, Western twice went close to equalising. first when Matthews' short pass rolled just too far ahead of his forwards, and was gathered by Wilmot, and again when the same player mis-kicked his shot, with the ball also going harmlessly the Wilmot.

On the hour, Western levelled the match when Burrows took the ball out of defence and passed up to Jackson on the left. Aided by an unfortunate slip from his marker, Connolly, Jackson got between the full back and and the ball, and fired home the equaliser.

The game then continued in a similar pattern to the first half, but with South Barsham having the majority of the play. Such was the visitors' superiority that Connolly, the right back, was looking more like a right winger. Not surprisingly, when Western finally managed to produce a rare attack of their own, Worrell played a crossfield pass out of defence to Nelson on the left. Despite Connolly's valiant attempt to retrieve the situation, Nelson's shot, from wide on the left, struck the foot of the post before rebounding wide.

That turned out to be the last of the goalmouth incidents. It had been a most skilful game, although probably best appreciated by the purists rather than the spectators, who would have appreciated more excitement to lift their spirits on a cold afternoon.

Two of our newer clubs here, with White Cliff in their third season, and Tarka Vale in their first.

It would be fair to say that Tarka Vale have, after the new clubs' recruitment window, acquired a rather unusual squad, which contains several very good players for this division, while one or two others, shall we say, may have found it less easy to get into the starting XI of some of the other teams at this level.

This game always looked likely to be more entertaining than the last one, and so it turned out. White Cliff had an early chance when Rowbotham's pass down the left reached Maher who, after some good wing play, only produced a weak shot, which was saved easily by the keeper. Before long, they made amends when Hargreaves picked up a Tarka clearance in midfield, brought the ball forward before passing short to his right, where Gritton was on hand to fire home.

Having almost assisted an early goal, Rowbotham's fortunes nearly reversed when he slipped, and Pearson tried his luck with a first time shot from wide on the right, but it went just wide.

This was already a more open and flowing game than the previous one, but with defences also playing well, clear chances remained few. Late in the first half, Maher almost doubled the lead when he ran onto another Hargreaves pass, but his shot went just beyond the post.

The same player made amends, spectacularly, within seconds of the restart. Again collecting a pass from Hargreaves, he took the ball towards goal before unleashing an unstoppable shot into the far corner. At two-nil, the game appeared safe.

The contrasting formations of the two sides kept the game interesting to watch. White Cliff play an accurate, close passing, orthodox 4-2-4 formation, whereas Tarka's formation, also 4-2-4, contains three central strikers but no recognised right winger. Their attacking play consists of either long passes up to the forwards or, when playing through midfield, allowing Doug Collins to pull the strings. On this showing, Collins looks too good for this Division.

After sixty-five minutes, right back Flash took the ball upfield, slipped the ball through to Jean, who pulled a goal back, and in doing so, provided an interesting finish.

Five minutes from the end, Flash played a crossfield pass which Murphy chased, but before reaching the ball, he collided with defender Malcolm. It was his second foul, so any further infringement would have led to his dismissal. Fortunately this didn't happen, and White Cliff held out to win deservedly. In this game they looked to be a compact little side which function well without having any particularly eye-catching player.

We hope you have enjoyed reading about out Christmas Day league matches. Until 1957, there used to be a full league programme on this day. Somehow, I can't see such a schedule returning in the near future!

Sorry the reports took so long. The matches were played early afternoon, but by the time I finished the write ups in rough, I thought it was time to start cooking Christmas dinner.

At least a former Saint was playing in one of the matches, although on this occasion he hardly got a kick, and certainly not an influential one.

My matches are really about formations, and I have found that the sixties Advanced Rules, with their set quotas of blocking flicks and when to take them, suit me best The only difference between the sides is that the away team's flicks are in quotas of two, rather than three, and they are only allowed two "passes back" during any period of possession inside their own half, before possession changes, compared with three for the home team.

There are extra differentials brought in for cup ties, where teams are from different divisions.

Previous recent achievements, or lack of, may lead to a minor formation change, or even a team change, but no advantages during any match.

At the end of each season the transfer window opens. Some clubs may need to sell, while others may be in a position to strengthen. Behind the scenes there is a fairly detailed financial system, where price money from league and cup are balanced against a club's wage bill.

As a recent convert to flats, I was intending to play this current season to the original 1947 rules, but after chatting with some experts at Renishaw, I decided against it, but have included a few of them, as a tribute, if you like, to the original game.

I now note any player who commits any foul during a game, and that includes any offences at defensive flicks, as well as with positional and offside flicks (but not foul throw ins and offsides). Free kicks aren't awarded when the ball is not in play, it's considered "ungentlemanly conduct". Three offences by any one player, he's off. So far there has been one sending off in 98 matches, ironically a Tarka Vale player in their opening match. He received a two match suspension and the club will get a small "fine" at the end of the season, which of course will increase if it happens again.

Another "original" rule is that a player is considered "injured" if he finishes up inside the goal and against the net. He will go off the field for treatment for five minutes before being allowed to return.

I must admit that I'm rather enjoying these slightly unusual rules at present.

Thank you for your question, which has provided me with much thought to answer clearly (hopefully) and in a fairly concise way.

The main reason for playing the matches at all is to compare the various formations, and although several teams may appear the same, there are usually differences, however small, between them. The size and physicality of the strikers, how many wingers, whether they stay wide, or cut inside to shoot; do either, or both, remain forward, or drop back and help out inside their own half.

Similarly with midfielders, some may be better as ball winners inside their own half (traditionally a wing half) or are they more effective going forward, creating assists and scoring a few goals, (traditionally the inside forward's job)

Generally speaking, the smaller and pacier a player is, the slightly deeper he will be positioned, to give him more space to play and use his speed.

Since converting to flats, it seems to be harder for a player to be a genuine box-to-box midfielder, which has led to many teams making slight adjustments in this area, as players now tend be slightly further in front of the back line and, increasingly, don't line up alongside each other. Unlike the modern game, both on the grass and on the baize, teams who start out with a back seven, deep inside their own half, tend leave too much space for the opposition to play in.

The players, naturally, bring the games to life, but, as a team, they must suit the formation and ethos of the club they play for. Briefly, of the supposedly four biggest clubs, Melchester Rovers are exciting, flamboyant, and always play with two wingers. Aberdither United are much more thorough, starting with more players inside their own half, from where they pass the ball accurately through the midfield. Iveley Park try to combine AU's thoroughness with MR's attractive formation, although in recent times this hasn't worked out for them, while Blackridge Town, as descendants of Blackton Rovers, who had the unbeatable goalkeeper, Bernard Briggs, will always have a classy defence, which is why Ray Wilson is there. There aren't many better than a full back who has a World Cup winner's medal.

During games, if there is an obvious flick, it will be played. When the next flick is not obvious, a team will try to play to get a player into a more realistic position, such as getting a forward upfield, rather than a defender who may have advanced up to half way. In the past, I used to try and be smarter with the better players, but tend not to do so these days, as it often turned out to be more of a disadvantage when things went wrong.

When a club, such as Brimpton Rovers or, more recently, Highwood Athletic, get themselves into Division One, there is always a decision to make as to buy in some better players, or stay loyal to those who got them there. Both survived, and are hoping to improve their team gradually. Highwood may have been a little fortunate, but their change of formation has worked, and the new one has been 'patented' for them. Convention is that others may impersonate, but not copy, HA's unique arrangement. Similarly, HA are not permitted to line up like a poor man's Melchester Rovers. Their players may not be considered to be of the very top quality, but good luck to them.

Hope this has provided some insight into what my hobby, or 'project' is about. I liken it to football chess, or possibly snooker, and find it fascinating.

Next time: One of the easier decisions of the season, Aberdither United v Melchester Rovers. Our traditional top two clubs will be meeting in the League for the first time in four seasons, with, on this occasion, Melchester probably not starting as the outsiders. This match is eagerly awaited, and we hope you will be able to join us.

Melchester made the livelier start, but Shilton was the first keeper to be needed, when he advanced out of goal to gather Dobson's slightly overhit pass, intended for Husband to chase. A few moments later, he needed two make two saves in quick succession: first when he pushed Kilbane's shot around the post and then, from the resulting corner, was possibly fortunate when Dobson's shot, deflected through a crowd of players, found him in the right place, just off his line.

Midway through the half, Melchester's first chance came from a passing move upfield from Lyons to Kendall to Young, who shot just wide.

Back in the visitors' half, Reid took the ball from the left, in front of Melchester's back four before passing to Husband, on the opposite touchline. Husband cut inside Harper, but as he "teed up" his shot, the full back made a good recovery and cleared the danger, at the expense of another corner. From this, Unsworth's powerfully hit clearance found Young, who slipped the ball to Heath , whose shot went just wide, although Southall appeared to have it covered.

Melchester twice went close as half-time approached. First, Young received Kendall's through pass, played a one-two with Heath, before shooting just wide. This was possibly the only occasion in the match where it could be said that a forward should have done better. Seconds from the whistle, Harper's pass found Heath, whose shot, which appeared to be goalbound, was blocked by Stevens.

The home side had the better of play in the early minutes after the interval, when Kilbane's cross was nodded on by Royle into Husband's path, but his shot was saved by Shilton, who again may have been slightly fortunate when the ball rebounded back to Husband and, before either player could react, bounced back towards the goal, but just wide of the keeper's left post. Dobson's deep cross, intended for Kilbane, was cut out by Shilton, and then Reid, after playing a one-two with Kilbane, was unable to get sufficient power into his shot, which was saved easily.

Just after the hour, it became Melchester's turn to do more of the attacking, and similarly suffer what they would consider misfortune in front of goal. Harper's pass down the left found Pienaar, who continued towards goal before shooting, and the ball hitting the foot of the far post before bouncing out to safety. Then Bingham's cross from the right found Heath, whose shot was deflected, lost its momentum, and enabled Southall to scramble across his goal and clear comfortably. Melchester then had a double chance, when Osman's powerful shot was blocked by Hurst.The ball rebounded back to Osman to allow an instant action replay, although not in slow motion, between the same two players, and this time the ball rebounded to another defender, and was cleared.

The final opportunity of the match came when van den Hauwe's pass along the left touchline found Kilbane, and this time it was Hibbert whose block saved his side.

It had been a magnificent, entertaining game, between the League's traditional top two teams. How it didn't produce at least one goal will remain a mystery, but neither of the League's two most capped goalkeepers waa going to be beaten on this occasion.

Although Blackridge started the brighter, a passing error while playing their way out of defence provided Hodwell with a difficult early chance, which Tynan couldn't quite convert.

Generally Hodwell's defence was kept busy, but looked solid, until Wright played a pass down the right to Gray, who just got the better of Timar's attempt to block, and also had a piece of good fortune as the ball rebounded off his leg directly in the path of the goal. The striker took the chance, and put Blackridge ahead, after 18 mins.

Both defences remained generally untroubled until, around the half hour, Gray collected a through pass, played the ball left to Halmosi, who shot narrowly wide.

Hodwell responded when Hinchcliffe and Barkley combined down their left, with the latter's shot striking the foot of the far post. Just before halftime, the home side went close again when McCarthy shot just wide, from Brown's cross.

Early in the second half, following a close passing move, McCarthy got a good shot on target, from which Howard made a fine save.A few minutes later, the keeper was in the action again when he saved Barkley's shot by his left post, after McCarthy had turned provider.

Hodwell were now having much the better of things, as what had become a five man midfield created a succession of chances from which McCarthy, again, shot narrowly wide, Howard made another save from Tynan and Brown's cross, from the right, passed only millimetres from Tynan's head, in front of goal.

Blackridge replied when Aleksic made two saves from Gray and Halmosi, before another shot from Barkley was blocked by Stubbs.

In the closing seconds, Hodwell's misfortune in front of goal continued when Barkley, playing almost as an extra striker, shot through a crowded penalty area but just wide of the far post.

This game was never likely to repeat the drama of our last featured match, but it remained skilful and contained much accurate play. Not for the first time, however, and almost certainly not the last, the out of form team found themselves rather short of good fortune.

Next time:- Before we feature any of these ties, there is another round of league matches to be played, and we are off to watch Greyston Town host Brimpton Rovers. Two in form sides who are both climbing up the table after making slow starts. We hope you will be able to join us.

It's rather surprising that neither of these two teams has been featured so far this season. After the early games it looked as though at least one of them may be in for a struggle, but both have hit form recently, with Greyston currently on an unbeaten run of four, and Brimpton on a winning run of three games.

The early play from both teams was careful; some would say cautious. Although Brimpton had to do most of the early defending, it was they who had the first chance on goal, when Paul Wotton brought the ball out of defence, passed right to Marc Edworthy, who played a diagonal pass for Wilf Carter to chase. Unfortunately the pass was slightly overhit, and the shot, taken at full stretch, went wide.

Greyston's first chance came when Doug Baird passed down the left side to Hugh McAuley, who cut inside Edworthy before shooting across the goal, but just beyond the far post.

Generally both defences were playing well. At one end, a dangerous-looking cross from Norman Piper was cut out by John Newman, while, toward the other goal, Bill Rafferty flicked Neil Dougall's pass towards Paul Mariner, only to see it gathered by the advancing Geoff Crudgington. These were the only two other moves which looked as though the stalemate might be broken during the remainder of the first half.

Early in the second, Les Latcham played Lee Hodges' short pass forward to to McAuley, but as the winger teed up his shot, Piper got back and cleared the ball from almost off his toes. Nevertheless, the home side were starting to gain the ascendency, and Rafferty's shot, from Baird's pass, brought a good save from Crudgington. Eventually they took a deserved lead when McAuley's pass across the front of the penalty area found Mark Patterson, who had gone up for a corner kick a few minutes earlier, and the full back placed his shot past Crudgington.

As the game entered its last quarter, Brimpton had to become more adventurous, and Edworthy, also forward in his wing back role, received Joe Mason's pass and played the ball into Carter, but Jack Chisholm was marking tightly and was perfectly placed to gain possession as soon as the ball came off the forward's boot.

As Brimpton tried to attack more, there was also more space for Greyston's forwards to play in, and Patterson sent a through pass for Mariner, who shot wide after a good run from halfway. Soon after, Lee Hodges played a similar pass for Rafferty, who, from further forward than Mariner had been, also ran for goal and this time got his shot on target, to put the game out of Brimpton's reach.

In the closing minutes, it was Greyston who had the scoring chances, with Mariner and Rafferty each going close.

So Greyston triumphed, and maintained their run of good form, in a game which was high on skill and strategy, but less so on incident and excitement, certainly for the neutral. Whatever happens elsewhere, they are certain to remain among the leaders in Division One.

Next time: it's one of our favourite times of the season, the first round of the F A Cup. The draw as given us so many matches we would like to feature, but we have decided to report on last season's finalists: Iveley Park hosting Hinton United, and Molton United, who put out three Division One teams on their way to the final, hosting Eastroke United.

We are hoping for some exciting football, and hope you will be able to join us.